A brief 20-second video may attain 1000’s—if not tens of millions—of viewers. TikTok’s highly effective algorithm doesn’t simply favor influencers; it’s additionally a precious instrument for amplifying worthwhile causes.
For nonprofits, TikTok is greater than a platform for leisure—it’s a game-changer for mobilizing the subsequent era of supporters. As consideration spans shrink and competitors for donors grows fiercer, TikTok for nonprofits has emerged as a shocking but efficient digital advertising instrument to construct neighborhood and drive motion. However how can nonprofits rework fleeting scrolls into significant engagement?
On this information, we’ll present you leverage TikTok for nonprofits to advance your mission:
Able to faucet into TikTok’s potential to encourage social change? Let’s dive into the fundamentals of how this platform can improve your nonprofit’s advertising efforts.
The Fundamentals of TikTok for Nonprofit Organizations
Let’s reply some frequent questions you might need concerning the platform and its affect on charitable causes.
Is TikTok Good for Charities?
Completely! Whether or not you’re a grassroots nonprofit or a world group, TikTok offers inventive methods to amplify your trigger, join with youthful audiences, and share behind-the-scenes content material, success tales, and ongoing campaigns.
With over 1.5 billion energetic customers, TikTok is a robust platform for nonprofits seeking to increase their attain. Plus, 55% of TikTok customers say the app helps them uncover new manufacturers.
Its give attention to quick, partaking movies opens the door to distinctive alternatives for storytelling, inspiring motion, and sharing memorable messages. In truth, formatting your outreach as movies means viewers will retain 95% of your message, in comparison with simply 10% when studying it as plain textual content.
Nonprofits can use TikTok to:
- Elevate consciousness. Share bite-sized content material about your mission, upcoming occasions, or necessary points with a world viewers by utilizing viral challenges, interactive campaigns, and interesting content material.
- Safe donations. TikTok’s donation instruments make contributing simple with stickers and bio hyperlinks.
- Construct neighborhood. Domesticate a neighborhood of passionate supporters by partaking with feedback and responding to user-generated content material.
- Present affect. Submit real-time updates and success tales that present the tangible outcomes of donations and volunteer work, encouraging continued help.
Since TikTok’s algorithm promotes content material primarily based on engagement relatively than follower rely, even smaller nonprofits have the potential to go viral and make a big effect.
From local weather change consciousness to psychological well being advocacy, the potential for creating real-world affect by means of TikTok movies is staggering. Your nonprofit can construct a passionate following, humanize your trigger, enhance donations, and enhance help.
What Is TikTok For Good?
TikTok for Good is TikTok’s initiative that goals to highlight nonprofits and causes making a optimistic social affect by means of the platform. Whereas many options—resembling Donation Stickers, fundraising livestreams, and Branded Hashtag Challenges—can be found to any registered nonprofit on the app, TikTok for Good offers further visibility and help to organizations making significant change.
This system highlights social affect efforts, fostering partnerships with nonprofits, creators, and communities, encouraging TikTok’s international viewers to take motion by donating, collaborating in campaigns, or spreading consciousness. By means of TikTok for Good, nonprofits also can entry promotional alternatives, instructional sources, and methods to amplify their attain.
Moreover, the official TikTok for Good account shares inspiring charity content material, providing finest practices and concepts to your nonprofit’s movies.
How one can Register Your Nonprofit on TikTok
Getting your nonprofit on TikTok is straightforward (and free!). Right here’s a step-by-step rundown to creating your account and organising your profile, so you can begin posting movies and constructing your following.
Step 1) Obtain the TikTok App
First, obtain the TikTok app out of your machine’s app retailer. It’s utterly free and out there for each iOS and Android customers.
Step 2) Create An Account
As soon as put in, open the app and choose “Signal Up.” You possibly can register utilizing an electronic mail tackle or cellphone quantity. This would be the major contact to your TikTok account, so select a shared electronic mail that your advertising staff can entry. This ensures that a number of staff members can log in and handle the account with out wanted to share private login particulars.
Through the sign-up course of, you’ll want to decide on a username, which ought to be your nonprofit’s identify or an acronym. For reference:
- The American Pink Cross is @americanredcross
- Habitat For Humanity is @habitat_org
- The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is @llsusa
When you’ve created your account, go to your account settings and swap to a enterprise account. This unlocks necessary options, together with TikTok’s analytics instruments, the power to run adverts, and the choice so as to add clickable hyperlinks to your bio.
Step 3) Set Up Your Profile
Now that your account is energetic, it’s time to arrange your profile. Create a robust, informative profile by taking these steps:
- Craft a brief bio. Your bio is restricted to 80 characters, so be concise. Use this area to speak your mission and encourage customers to observe your group. Consider it as a fast elevator pitch. For instance, “Bringing Clear Water to Communities 💧🌍 Be a part of us in creating lasting change!🤝”
- Hyperlink to your socials. By linking different accounts like Instagram and YouTube to your TikTok profile, customers can simply observe your different digital advertising channels.
- Add a profile image. This picture will seem on the prime of your profile and on each TikTok you put up. For nonprofits, utilizing your official brand ensures model consistency.
- Add a donation hyperlink. In case your nonprofit already has over 1,000 followers or is utilizing a enterprise account, you’ll be able to add a direct hyperlink to your optimized donation web page in your bio. This enables customers to simply contribute to your trigger with out leaving TikTok.
Right here’s an instance of an entire profile for LLS:
- Profile image: LLS’s brand
- Username: @llsusa with verification checkmark
- Bio: United in progress towards a world with out blood most cancers
- Hyperlinks: LLS’s donation web page, Instagram account, and get in touch with web page for beneficiaries
Step 4) Begin Posting TikToks
Begin sharing your nonprofit’s story with the TikTok neighborhood. Whereas we’ll present in-depth suggestions later, listed below are some strategies to get began:
- Movie your movies in vertical orientation (9:16) to reap the benefits of the full-screen expertise.
- Have good lighting, whether or not you utilize a hoop mild, a lamp, and even the solar.
- TikTok recommends utilizing the app’s results and textual content therapy choices to make your content material really feel native to the platform and amplify it on For You pages.
Don’t fear in case your early movies aren’t good. TikTok thrives on authenticity. As you turn out to be accustomed with the platform, you’ll discover your rhythm and uncover what content material works finest to your nonprofit.
Suggestions To Make the Most of Your Nonprofit’s TikTok
To successfully have interaction the TikTok neighborhood and develop your digital footprint, strive these methods:
Submit Persistently
In accordance with Rival IQ’s Social Media Business Benchmark Report, most nonprofits solely put up a median of 1.59 instances to TikTok per week, in comparison with 5.95 instances on Instagram. Intention for 3-5 posts weekly. Consistency retains your viewers engaged, will increase your possibilities of being seen by TikTok’s algorithm, and helps you keep related on the platform.
Your movies might be anyplace from 3 seconds and half-hour lengthy, however Socialinsider’s 2024 analysis reveals that TikToks between 90 and 120 seconds maximize views and think about price. That very same analysis signifies that most manufacturers are likely to publish movies between 40 and 50 seconds lengthy, however shorter movies or longer, partaking content material as much as 3 minutes also can carry out properly relying on the message.
Leverage Fashionable Sounds, Hashtags, and Traits
To maximise the attain of your movies, use trending sounds, hashtags, and challenges. TikTok’s algorithm favors content material that faucets into what’s presently standard. Right here’s do it:
- Trending Sounds: Add trending audio clips to your movies to extend your possibilities of showing on individuals’s For You web page.
- Hashtags: Use a mixture of basic and cause-specific hashtags to assist customers discover your content material. Our nonprofit hashtags information shares a number of standard choices like #DoGood, #HumanRights, #CleanWater, and #ProtectOurPlanet.
- Challenges: Take part in viral challenges and adapt them to your nonprofit’s mission to achieve traction.
Participating with traits makes your nonprofit’s movies extra discoverable, probably resulting in extra followers. As an illustration, The Innocence Challenge launched the #SaveMelissaLucio marketing campaign to lift consciousness for a case involving a wrongful conviction. By encouraging customers to duet, share, and sew the video, they created a viral motion that engaged the TikTok neighborhood in supporting prison justice reform
Get Artistic With The Content material You Submit
When creating TikTok content material, preserve your content material recent by alternating between these kinds of content material:
- Instructional Content material: Share statistics, information, or insights associated to your trigger (e.g., information about endangered species or starvation aid).
- How-To Tutorials: Display your work, like how your staff cares for animals, organizes donations, or units up occasions.
- Success Tales: Spotlight impactful tales or testimonials from those that have benefited out of your nonprofit’s work.
A lot of these content material not solely inform your viewers but in addition construct belief and credibility.
Work together with the Neighborhood
Engagement is vital to robust visibility on TikTok for nonprofits. To foster robust neighborhood engagement, you need to:
- Reply to feedback. Use the Reply-to-Remark or Video Reply function to reply questions, thank supporters, and construct relationships together with your followers.
- Duet and sew. Create duet or sew movies with different TikTok creators to increase your attain.
- Like, share, and remark. Recurrently work together with different content material creators and supporters by liking, commenting, and sharing movies.
The TikTok neighborhood appreciates energetic creators, and frequent engagement will assist your nonprofit construct a devoted following.
Use Donation Stickers and Hyperlinks
TikTok’s Donation Stickers and Donation Hyperlinks make it simple for customers to help your trigger immediately inside the app. Right here’s how they work:
- Add Stickers to movies and livestreams. Incorporate stickers into your common TikTok movies or livestreams, permitting viewers to donate immediately. Supporters also can add these to their TikToks:
- Add Donation Hyperlinks the place attainable, resembling in your profile bio or above video descriptions.
- Encourage motion. In your captions or video, remind customers to faucet the Donation Sticker or click on hyperlinks to help your trigger.
This function streamlines the donation course of, making it handy for followers to contribute with out leaving TikTok.
Examples of Viral Nonprofits on TikTok
To get impressed to your nonprofit’s TikTok, let’s discover a couple of organizations which have performed properly on the platform and constructed an engaged following.
Not all the pieces these nonprofits put up on TikTok goes viral, however they do an excellent job of utilizing standard sounds, leaping on traits, and interacting with their followers.
Aquarium of the Pacific
Situated in Lengthy Seashore, California, Aquarium of the Pacific makes use of a mixture of trending and area of interest hashtags. Additionally they put up a wide range of content material, like enjoyable information, employees life, and aquarium excursions. This nonprofit is nice about interacting with its neighborhood resembling by creating Video Replies in response to customers’ feedback.
Right here’s an instance of one in every of their viral instructional posts that racked up over 9 million views and 500K likes. It explains how the aquarium’s employees weighs its beloved octopus Goji:
@aquariumpacific How we weigh octopuses on the Aquarium! 🐙 #STEM #LearnOnTikTok #aquariumofthepacific #octopus
Bat Conservation Worldwide
Bat Conservation Worldwide tapped into the area of interest #BatTok neighborhood by utilizing a enjoyable video that includes a bat synced with trending audio, resonating with TikTok’s love for cute animals whereas selling bat conservation efforts.
It’s a brief, easy video that reveals off Geoff the bat’s distinctive voice. The nonprofit’s TikTok generated almost 640K views and over 125K likes:
@batconservation Geoff has a v imp announcement. 🦇Geoffrey’s horseshoe #bat 📷Dr. Winifred Frick #animals #africa #bats #battok #Conservation #science
The nonprofit can also be good about utilizing trending sounds, like on this current TikTok:
@batconservation Bats however they get extra derp 📷 Rachel Harper, Bat Conservation Worldwide #battok #ohlookastrawberry #cute
UNICEF
UNICEF has participated in traits like #VoicesOfYouth, utilizing standard hashtags and sounds to highlight local weather change and baby safety. They share how-to guides, one-on-one interviews with benefactors, and user-generated content material from ambassadors like Millie Bobby Brown and BTS’s RM.
Not too long ago, UNICEF posted behind-the-scenes TikToks about their help in Gaza. Additionally they shared an interview with the boy band BTS and B-Roll of benefactors. The nonprofit’s TikTok drew 1.8 million views, 580K+ likes, and 20K+ shares:
@unicef Feeling overwhelmed? @BTS has a message to brighten up your day. #BTSLoveMyself #OnMyMind #BTS 💙💜
TikTok vs. Google Adverts: Which Is Higher For Nonprofits?
Paid promoting empowers nonprofits to amplify their content material to seemingly supporters. At Getting Consideration, we’re large followers of Google Adverts, as a result of eligible nonprofits obtain free credit to spend on the platform!
Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply different promoting platforms aren’t efficient for reaching your viewers. Social media platforms like TikTok provide distinctive alternatives to attach with supporters and enhance donations. However how do the 2 platforms evaluate, and which is best suited to your nonprofit’s objectives? Let’s have a look at the fundamental advantages, codecs, and methods for every platform.
TikTok Adverts
TikTok Adverts are perfect for nonprofits looking for to interact youthful audiences by means of inventive, short-form video content material. The platform’s algorithm favors viral potential, which means even small organizations can attain broad audiences. TikTok adverts are available in varied codecs, resembling:
- In-Feed Adverts: These adverts seem as customers scroll, mixing with natural content material.
- TopView Adverts: That is the primary advert customers see when opening the app, guaranteeing most visibility.
- Branded Hashtag Challenges: You’ll pay to advertise a customized hashtag and encourage customers to create content material with it.
- Branded Results: These are filters and stickers that manufacturers can create.
You possibly can differentiate the In-Feed and TopView Adverts from regular TikToks by on the lookout for visible indicators like a small “Sponsored” label and a call-to-action button.
TikTok excels in consciousness campaigns and constructing model id, significantly for nonprofits targeted on visually compelling storytelling. Nonetheless, it primarily targets a youthful demographic (Gen Z and Millennials), so it might not be the very best match for reaching older supporters. Plus, TikTok’s visible, fast-paced nature requires a gradual stream of recent and interesting video content material, which can be demanding for smaller nonprofits with restricted sources.
Google Adverts
With over 3.5 billion each day searches performed, Google presents unparalleled attain, permitting nonprofits to attach with supporters globally. Due to its huge attain and extremely focused search capabilities, Google Adverts is among the strongest promoting platforms for nonprofits.
In comparison with different platforms, search adverts present the very best ROI for nonprofits utilizing paid promoting. Even higher, by means of the Google Advert Grants program, eligible nonprofits can obtain as much as $10,000 monthly in free search adverts, making it a cheap possibility for driving donations and web site visitors. This makes the platform very best for nonprofits targeted on elevating consciousness or changing guests into supporters with out incurring steep promoting prices.
Google Adverts provide a number of codecs, together with:
- Search Adverts: These adverts seem on the prime of Google search outcomes, focusing on customers actively looking for associated subjects.
- Show Adverts: These banner adverts are displayed throughout web sites in Google’s Search Community.
- YouTube Adverts: These video-based adverts run on YouTube.
Nonetheless, know that the Advert Grant can solely be used on Search Adverts. You can too faucet into Responsive Search Adverts, which let you enter as much as 15 headlines and 4 descriptions for Google to check and maximize efficiency.
With Search Adverts, your nonprofit can bid on mission-related key phrases, focusing on individuals actively looking for subjects associated to your trigger. These advert codecs are glorious for lead era, web site visitors, and donation campaigns.
Nonetheless, the text-based nature of search adverts could restrict creativity in comparison with platforms like TikTok, which give attention to dynamic video content material. Outsourcing the work to skilled Google Grant managers will allow you to beat these limitations and ensure your Google Adverts drive real worth.
Google Advert Instance:
The World Wildlife Fund created a Google Advert that targets key phrases associated to “save elephants” and promotes touchdown pages for his or her elephant rescue efforts, a associated marketing campaign for polar bears, and their primary donation web page.
So, Which Is Higher for Your Nonprofit?
Selecting between TikTok Adverts and Google Adverts relies on your nonprofit’s particular objectives, viewers, and sources:
- TikTok Adverts are nice for nonprofits seeking to increase consciousness amongst youthful, socially aware audiences by means of inventive and viral content material. It’s good for organizations that thrive in visible storytelling.
- Google Adverts are perfect for nonprofits targeted on driving donations, growing web site visitors, or producing leads. The platform’s focusing on capabilities and the Google Advert Grants program make it a best choice for cost-effective, results-driven campaigns.
For a lot of nonprofits, utilizing each platforms can present a balanced method, permitting you to construct model consciousness on TikTok whereas driving conversions and visitors by means of Google Adverts.
Prepared For Your Nonprofit To Go Viral on TikTok?
TikTok’s short-form video format is reshaping how nonprofits share their missions and join with donors. With Gen Z and Millennials main the cost on the app, your nonprofit has a uncommon alternative to interact an entire new era of digital do-gooders.
Use the information we shared to harness the ability of TikTok for nonprofits. Whereas it takes some experimentation and consistency, you’ll get the swing of issues and construct a loyal follower base. Within the meantime, try these different sources to enhance your digital presence:
